Claremont School of Theology & Bayan Claremont Announce Grant to Build Community through Interfaith Understanding at the Local Level

Through its partnership with Claremont School of Theology, Bayan Claremont, an Islamic graduate school, has received one of 31 federal grants to support the expansion of educational and training programs for faith leaders, community activists, non-profit managers, and others involved in community engagement.

The grant, provided by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as part of a $10 million allocation, has been awarded to Bayan in the area of “Building Capacity.” Read more from DHS here.

Bayan will use the monies to launch a program called Promoting Equality And Civic Engagement (PEACE) aimed at helping communities flourish.

“We intend to generate positive outcomes by providing scholarly perspectives, professional expertise, and organizational best practices to organizations seeking the resources and support to excel in pursuit of their goals,” said President Jihad Turk, Bayan Claremont. “As an academic environment, we take pride in creating a space where diverse perspectives, solutions, and approaches may be cultivated to provide contextual, relevant, and impactful outcomes that serve the public good.”

Bayan Claremont received $800,000 – the second largest grant – for “building capacity” which will focus on building communities by increasing the capacity to grow through interfaith dialogue and civic engagement, drawing from its academic synthesis of contemporary and traditional Islamic thought and the interreligious experience available with its partners.

The grant will support growth and maturation of non-profits in the Los Angeles metropolitan area through a two-year sub-grant program aimed at identifying a variety of faith-based, civic, and community organizations to build capacity in areas such as research, evaluation, assessment, marketing, leadership, and professional skills. The capacity-building program will provide a training series and sub-grants to applicant organizations to develop new programs that meet the needs of their respective communities in terms of religious literacy, civic engagement, cultural competency, social justice advocacy, and related areas. Grantees in the Los Angeles area will form a learning community and, eventually, publicly showcase their programs/projects and reflect on the mentoring and support received throughout the capacity-building process.

“We are in support of Bayan Claremont as we continue to do the work we are already doing together: helping people of many faiths understand one another and work and live together in harmony,” said the Rev. Dr. Kah-Jin Jeffrey Kuan, CST President. “We share ideas and learn from each other every day at CST and Bayan. Now, we are reaching out into the community to expand our vision and mission and create a difference for the world we live in.”

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More About Claremont School of Theology

CST believes in “desegregating” theological and religious education by teaching and learning in the presence of religious diversity. Founded by Methodists, we are fortified by numerous ecumenical friendships – in particular, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), The Episcopal Church, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the United Church of Christ, and the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria – as well as by our partnerships with Bayan Claremont, the Academy for Jewish Religion California, and University of the West. Together, we are creating a difference for the world we live in.

More About Bayan Claremont

Bayan Claremont provides higher education to men and women who serve as Muslim religious leaders, scholars, activists and educators. Our program emphasizes the diversity of perspectives and experiences found in the Islamic tradition and in contemporary Islamic thought, and integrates knowledge from a variety of academic disciplines to prepare our graduates to engage their professional contexts effectively and at the highest standards. Bayan students learn within a multi-religious, multi-ethnic, graduate institution that values diversity. Our degree programs are open to students from other religious traditions who wish to engage issues pertaining to Islam and the Muslim community.

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Bayan Claremont is an Islamic graduate school established in 2011 at the Claremont School of Theology in Southern California. Bayan aims to produce dynamic and ethical leaders and scholars grounded in the Islamic tradition.